List of stuffed dishes facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

A stuffed dish is a type of food where one ingredient is filled with other ingredients. Think of it like a delicious surprise package! Sometimes, the "stuffing" isn't actually inside. It might be spread on top, like on a pizza, or mixed in, like with some mussels. These dishes are found all over the world and come in many different shapes, sizes, and flavors.

General Stuffed Dishes
Asian-Style Buns
Desserts and Sweets
Dumplings
Fish and Seafood Dishes
Flatbreads
Fried Doughs and Fritters
Breads and Pastries
Wraps
Game, Poultry, Offal
Pancakes and Crepes
Starch Paste Cakes
Stuffed Pasta
Stuffed Pizzas
Stuffed Vegetables
Stuffed Fruits
Turkish Stuffed Dishes
See also

General Stuffed Dishes

Many cultures have their own special stuffed dishes. These can be main meals, snacks, or even appetizers. They often use vegetables, meats, or doughs as the main "wrapper" for tasty fillings.

A-gei is a Taiwanese dish. It's made from fried tofu that's stuffed with glass noodles.
Chả giò is a crispy Vietnamese spring roll. It's usually filled with pork, shrimp, and vegetables.
Chicken Kiev is a famous chicken dish. It has a piece of chicken breast wrapped around cold butter, then breaded and fried.
Cordon bleu is similar to Chicken Kiev. It's a piece of meat, often chicken or veal, wrapped around cheese and ham, then breaded and fried.
Deviled eggs are a popular snack. Hard-boiled eggs are cut in half, and the yolk is mixed with mayonnaise and spices, then put back into the egg white.
Dolma is a big family of stuffed vegetable dishes. They are popular in the Middle East and nearby regions. Common vegetables to stuff include tomatoes, peppers, onions, zucchini, and eggplant. The filling can have meat or be vegetarian.
Empanada is a baked or fried pastry. It's filled with meat, cheese, or vegetables. They are popular in many countries, especially in Latin America and Spain.
Ghapama is a traditional Armenian pumpkin dish. A pumpkin is hollowed out and stuffed with rice, dried fruits, and nuts.
Gołąbki are Polish cabbage rolls. They are made from soft cabbage leaves wrapped around a filling of minced meat and rice.
Haggis is a traditional Scottish dish. It's a savory pudding containing sheep's pluck (heart, liver, and lungs). It's mixed with oatmeal, onion, and spices, then cooked in a sheep's stomach.
Jalapeño poppers are spicy appetizers. They are jalapeño peppers that have been hollowed out, filled with cheese, and sometimes wrapped in bacon, then baked or fried.
Kibbeh is a dish from the Middle East. It's made from bulgur (cracked wheat), minced onions, and finely ground lean meat. It can be shaped into balls or patties and often has a spiced meat filling.
Knish is a snack food popular in Jewish cuisine. It's a dough wrapper filled with mashed potatoes, meat, or cheese, then baked or fried.
Onigiri are Japanese rice balls. They are often shaped into triangles or cylinders and wrapped in nori (seaweed). They can have various fillings like pickled plum, salmon, or tuna.
Papa rellena means "stuffed potato" in Spanish. It's a ball of mashed potatoes filled with seasoned ground meat, then deep-fried until golden.
Pirozhki are small baked or fried buns from Russia. They are filled with different ingredients like meat, vegetables, or fruit.
Porchetta is a savory, fatty, and moist boneless pork roast. It's usually stuffed with herbs and spices.
Rouladen is a German meat dish. Thin slices of beef are wrapped around a filling of bacon, onions, and pickles, then cooked.
Samgye-tang is a Korean chicken soup. A whole young chicken is stuffed with ginseng, sticky rice, and other ingredients, then slowly cooked.

Ghapama, a traditional Armenian dish

Punjena paprika, a stuffed pepper dish

Jalapeño poppers

Brazilian kibbeh stuffed with requeijão

A stuffed artichoke served with a sauce

Stuffed squash: an acorn squash stuffed with pilaf and topped with cheese

Stuffed tomatoes

Asian-Style Buns

Many Asian countries have delicious steamed or baked buns with various fillings.

Baozi are Chinese steamed buns. They come with many different fillings, like meat or vegetables.
Cha siu bao is a popular Cantonese baozi. It's filled with barbecue-flavored char siu pork.
Jjinppang is a Korean steamed bun. It's typically filled with sweet red bean paste.
Nikuman is the Japanese name for a steamed bun. It's usually filled with ground pork or beef.
Xiaolongbao are famous Chinese soup dumplings. They are delicate steamed dumplings filled with meat and a savory broth.

Cha siu bao

Desserts and Sweets

Stuffed dishes aren't just for main meals! Many sweet treats also have delicious fillings.

Cannolo is a famous Italian pastry from Sicily. It's a tube-shaped fried dough shell filled with sweet, creamy ricotta cheese.
Cornulețe are small, crescent-shaped pastries from Romania. They can be filled with jam, chocolate, or walnuts.
Éclair is a French pastry. It's a long pastry made with choux dough, filled with cream, and topped with icing.
Jelly doughnut is a classic sweet treat. It's a doughnut filled with fruit jelly or jam.
Klepon is a traditional Indonesian sweet rice cake. It's green, made from glutinous rice flour, and filled with liquid palm sugar.
Puran Poli is a sweet flatbread from India. It's stuffed with a sweet lentil filling.
Swiss roll is a type of sponge cake. It's baked in a thin layer, then spread with jam or cream and rolled up.

A cannolo

Dumplings

Dumplings are a huge category of stuffed foods found worldwide. They are usually small pieces of dough wrapped around a filling.

Pierogi are popular dumplings from Eastern Europe. They are often filled with mashed potatoes, cheese, meat, or fruit.

Fish and Seafood Dishes

Seafood can also be stuffed with tasty ingredients.

Lobster Thermidor is a rich French dish. Cooked lobster meat is mixed with egg yolks, brandy, and butter, then stuffed back into the lobster shell and baked.
Stuffed clams are clams filled with a mixture of breadcrumbs, herbs, and sometimes other seafood, then baked.
Stuffed mussels are mussels filled with spiced rice, herbs, and sometimes other ingredients, then cooked.
Stuffed squid involves filling squid bodies with a mixture of rice, vegetables, or other seafood, then cooking them.

Lobster Thermidor

Stuffed mussels

Stuffed clams

Flatbreads

Flatbreads are a type of bread that can be stuffed with various fillings.

Bolani is a thin Afghan flatbread. It's often filled with potatoes, lentils, or pumpkin.
Stuffed paratha is an Indian flatbread. It can be stuffed with spiced mashed potato (aloo paratha) or cauliflower (gobhi paratha).

Fried Doughs and Fritters

Many delicious fried foods are also stuffed.

Arancini are Italian fried rice balls. They are usually filled with ragù (meat sauce), mozzarella, and peas.
Barbajuan is a fried Swiss chard fritter. It's a small pastry filled with Swiss chard and ricotta cheese.
Chile relleno is a Mexican dish. It's a roasted poblano pepper stuffed with cheese or meat, then battered and fried.
Coxinha is a popular Brazilian snack. It's a teardrop-shaped dough filled with shredded chicken, then breaded and fried.
Samosa is a popular fried or baked pastry from India. It has a savory filling, often spiced potatoes, onions, peas, or meat.

A split arancino, showing the rice and ragù stuffing

Breads and Pastries

Many breads and pastries are made with delicious fillings.

Berliner is a type of doughnut. It's a round, jam-filled pastry, often dusted with powdered sugar.
Cannoli are crispy pastry tubes filled with sweet ricotta cheese.
Curry puff is a small, baked or fried pastry. It's filled with a savory curry mixture, often chicken and potatoes.
Hot Pockets are a popular brand of microwaveable turnovers. They are filled with various ingredients like cheese, meat, or vegetables.
Profiterole is a small, hollow pastry. It's usually filled with whipped cream or ice cream and topped with chocolate sauce.
Stromboli is a type of turnover or rolled pizza. It's filled with various Italian cheeses and cold cuts.
Turnover is a pastry made by folding dough over a filling. The filling can be sweet (like fruit) or savory (like meat and vegetables).

Wraps

Wraps are dishes where ingredients are rolled inside a thin outer layer.

Cabbage roll is a dish where cooked cabbage leaves are wrapped around a filling. The filling usually contains minced meat and rice.
Egg roll is a type of spring roll from Chinese-American cuisine. It's a savory roll filled with shredded cabbage, meat, and other ingredients, then deep-fried.
Spring roll is a general term for various filled, rolled appetizers. They are popular in East and Southeast Asian cuisines. They can be fresh or fried.
Sarma is a dish of stuffed grape leaves. The leaves are filled with rice, minced meat, and herbs, then cooked.

Chicken and shrimp spring rolls

Sarma

Game, Poultry, Offal

Larger meats, especially poultry, are often stuffed for special occasions.

Stuffed ham is a traditional dish where a ham is deboned and stuffed with a mixture of greens, breadcrumbs, and spices.
Turkey is famously stuffed, especially for holidays like Thanksgiving. The cavity of the turkey is filled with a bread-based stuffing or dressing.
Turducken is a very unique dish. It's a deboned chicken stuffed into a deboned duck, which is then stuffed into a deboned turkey.

A stuffed turkey, prior to cooking

Pancakes and Crepes

Some pancakes and crepes are also served with fillings.

Apam balik is a sweet Malaysian pancake. It's often folded in half and filled with sugar, peanuts, and corn.
Bánh xèo is a savory Vietnamese pancake. It's often filled with shrimp, pork, and bean sprouts.
Blini are thin Russian pancakes. They can be served with various fillings, both sweet and savory.

Starch Paste Cakes

These are traditional dishes, often made with rice or other starches, that are wrapped around a filling.

Bánh chưng is a traditional Vietnamese sticky rice cake. It's filled with pork and mung beans, then wrapped in banana leaves and boiled.
Bánh tét is similar to Bánh chưng but is cylindrical. It's also a Vietnamese sticky rice cake with various fillings.
Tamale is a traditional Mesoamerican dish. It's made of masa (corn dough) filled with meat, cheese, or fruit, wrapped in a corn husk or banana leaf, and then steamed.
Zongzi are traditional Chinese sticky rice dumplings. They are filled with different ingredients and wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves, then steamed or boiled.

Bánh tét

Stuffed Pasta

Many types of pasta are designed to hold delicious fillings.

Agnolotti are a type of stuffed pasta from Italy. They are usually filled with roasted meat or vegetables.
Cannelloni are large, tube-shaped pasta. They are typically filled with ricotta cheese and spinach or ground meat, then baked with sauce.
Ravioli are square or round pasta pockets. They are filled with various ingredients like cheese, meat, or vegetables.
Tortellini are small, ring-shaped pasta. They are often filled with meat or cheese.
Tortelloni are larger versions of tortellini, usually filled with ricotta and spinach.

Ravioli

Stuffed Pizzas

Some pizzas are designed to be stuffed, offering a unique twist on a classic.

Calzone is a folded pizza. It's a savory turnover filled with mozzarella, ricotta, and other pizza toppings.
Stuffed pizza is a very deep-dish pizza. It has a layer of dough on the bottom, then toppings, then another thin layer of dough on top, and finally sauce.
Stuffed crust pizza is a pizza where the outer edge of the crust is filled with cheese.

Stuffed pizza at a restaurant

Stuffed Vegetables

Many vegetables are perfect for stuffing with savory fillings.

Punjena paprika means "stuffed peppers." Bell peppers are filled with a mixture of ground meat, rice, and spices, then cooked.
Sheikh al-mahshi is a Middle Eastern dish. It features zucchini stuffed with minced lamb meat and pine nuts, often served in a yogurt sauce.
Stuffed artichoke involves filling artichokes with breadcrumbs, herbs, and cheese, then baking them.
Stuffed cabbage is a dish where cabbage leaves are wrapped around a filling, similar to gołąbki.
Stuffed eggplant involves hollowing out eggplants and filling them with meat, rice, or vegetables.
Stuffed mushrooms are mushroom caps filled with breadcrumbs, cheese, herbs, or other ingredients, then baked.
Stuffed peppers are bell peppers filled with a mixture, often meat and rice, then baked or simmered.
Stuffed squash involves hollowing out squash (like acorn squash) and filling it with savory mixtures.
Stuffed tomatoes are tomatoes filled with a mixture of rice, herbs, and sometimes meat, then baked.

Stuffed peppers

Stuffed Fruits

Even some fruits can be stuffed to create unique sweet or savory dishes.

Stuffed apples are apples cored and filled with ingredients like nuts, dried fruit, or spices, then baked.
Stuffed dates are dates that have their pits removed and are filled with nuts, cheese, or marzipan.
Stuffed quinces are quinces (a type of fruit) that are hollowed out and filled, often with meat and rice, then cooked.
Tufahije is a Bosnian dessert. It's made from boiled apples stuffed with walnuts and sweet cream.

Stuffed quinces

Turkish Stuffed Dishes

Turkish cuisine has many delicious stuffed dishes, often called "dolma" or "sarma."

Paçanga böreği is a fried Turkish pastry. It's filled with pastırma (cured beef) and cheese.
Stuffed ribs are a special dish where lamb or beef ribs are stuffed with a spiced rice mixture.